The weather dropped enough to turn my oven on. Time for hearty meals!
Finally, finally, it is starting to feel like autumn. (At least, it was for a couple weeks.) And during this time where the mornings and evenings are brisk and the afternoons aren't even that bad, I knew I wanted a meal that was:
Filling
Savory
Easy
And also made good use of my ceramic cast iron. That's where I decided, after buying a good 5lb beef chuck roast and cubing up half for a future meal: why not just plop this bad boy in a pot and call it done?
(Added a few other things, too, of course, but you get the idea.)
I've never made pot roast before, but not only is it super easy: it's also super delicious. If you're a beef stew fan, you're gonna love it—and the magical ingredients we're using in it, rosemary, thyme, potato, and carrot, are classic, easy-to-get staples that go a long way in a dish like this.
Magic in Easy Beef Pot Roast
I mean, what is there to say? With a meal so hearty, yet so simple and easy—one that heats up the whole house in a gentle and cozy way, one that fills the house with such savory, delicious scents, one that has all those good and hearty root vegetables in it—this type of meal oozes comfort. Centuries have gone by with people eating these simple meals from the safety and light of their heart, and so in each reincarnation of it is the essence of all those families cuddled under one roof, by the light of the hearth or the tables' candles. You can feel it in your bones: the restfulness of a long day's work. It reaches from your ancestors all the way to you, even if your job isn't such physical toil like theirs used to be.
Moreover, there are many influences we can draw on even in a meal so cozy and simple, and that’s something to appreciate. However, in here, with Venus, the Sun, Mars, and the Moon, the one thing that comes to mind is harmony. Light and dark. Male and female. Water and fire (with a floor of earth for extra grounding). Both sides of the binary come together and create something new and off that binary altogether; they create twilight, androgyny, and unity. As such, it’s the perfect blend of energies to harmonize your home and make it a vibrant, warm, safe space for healing and rest—just as any good and nutritious roast should be!
Easy Beef Pot Roast
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
3-4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 thick sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 - 2 cups of water or beef stock
Directions:
Brown your beef on all sides in a heavy bottom, oven safe pot and set aside.
Cook your onions in the pot until translucent, then add garlic and fry until fragrant.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add beef, herbs, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and water or stock.
Cover and bring to a simmer, then cut the heat and transfer to the oven.
Braise in the oven for 2 hours.
Remove from the oven, add your potatoes and carrots, and then return to the oven for another hour.
Remove from the oven and take out the beef. Shred the beef and discard any extra fat.
Return the beef to the pot, stir, and serve.
All I know is that if you're ready for soup season, you're gonna love this. Even if it's not quite soup, it really captures that essence of beef stew, just thicker and more savory. (And trust me when I say it'll thicken like hell the next day, too.) It's such a treat for the chillier days, and I do hope you try it out. ♥
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
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